


The Other Side

by singwithin



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Reality Katie Holt, Alternate Reality Sam Holt, Alternate Reality Slav, Angst, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-15 02:23:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14149863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singwithin/pseuds/singwithin
Summary: An alternate ending to S3E4 ('Hole in the Sky'), in which not everyone made it back to their original reality...That was definitely Pidge. Sure, her hair was longer, she wasn’t wearing those enormous glasses that covered half her face, and she seemed a little more feminine, but she was still Pidge.She was staring at him with a look of total disbelief, mixed emotions crossing her face that he couldn’t even begin to place. Before he could say anything, she’d rushed over to him and thrown her arms around his neck, yelling his name.





	1. The Other Side of the Portal

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [De l'autre côté du portail.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14044500) by [ManaMaVhenan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManaMaVhenan/pseuds/ManaMaVhenan). 



Dazed, Lance felt sick to his stomach. His head hurt, like his brain had collided with every corner of his skull. His eyes were still recovering from the blinding flash of light he’d seen as the gate between the two realities closed. By the time he finally felt up to opening his eyes, it looked like Voltron had broken apart, and his lion was offline. Feebly, he tugged on the controls, but nothing worked. He groaned, closing his eyes again for a brief moment.

He looked around him, trying to check his co-pilots’ condition. They must have been hit at least as hard as he had. The evil Alteans had fired on them just as they were about to cross cross through the portal linking their realities. He still felt a little groggy, but there was nothing wrong with his sight now, and what he saw made his blood run cold.

Specifically, what he _didn’t_ see.

There were no lions. No castle. No weird comet. Nothing but the Altean ship in the distance, the planet that didn’t exist in their reality visible on the horizon.

Where were the others? Why was he still on this side of the portal? Could he really be…?

Oh, quiznack. No, no, no-

“Keith? Pidge? Allura? Hunk, buddy, you there?” he called.

Nothing but silence.

Fear started to creep in as his stomach clenched up and his heart started racing. He frantically jiggled the lion’s controls, breathing heavily, and with a a quiet, crackling noise, the luminous control panels blinked back online. Nervously, he scanned the screens, searching for the other lions’ energy signatures. There was no sign of his friends. He hailed them again, increasingly concerned, but again heard nothing but silence.

Now, he was really starting to panic. He broke into a cold sweat, his eyes welling up with tears. He could barely breathe. There was nothing he could do: He was alone, separated from his friends, with no way to find them. This was the most dire situation he’d ever been in. He didn’t know how he was going to get out of this one on his own.

He snapped out of it when something exploded uncomfortably close to his position. He’d been spotted. The Alteans were aiming right for at him. Lance slammed on the throttle and Red took off, getting them safely out of range.

He weaved aimlessly through space until he spotted a shuttle in the distance. It didn’t look anything like the Altean ship. He decided to investigate on the chance it could be Slav and Sven, keeping his distance from the Alteans. He was suddenly grateful to be piloting the fastest lion.

He caught up with the shuttle and hailed it. Lance had never been happier to hear the familiar, irritating voice that replied.

“You didn’t go back to your own reality?” Slav said.

“Doesn’t look like it. Uh, do you have any idea how I could get back? Please tell me you do. I’m begging you.”

Slav did not. “Sadly, without that comet, I don’t think there is a way. In any case, our top priority is getting back to HQ. You might as well come along. You can cover us.”

Lance didn’t have much choice. He followed the shuttle, although they took the long way round to shake the Alteans. Slav was much too cautious to risk the enemy following them back.

* * *

Slav and Sven’s headquarters were in an old bunker carved into a mountain on a rocky moon, home to a few dozen rebels. The arrival of a giant, red robot lion did not go unnoticed, but judging by the looks on their faces, the rebels were just as impressed by the lion as they were suspicious. Usually, Lance would have enjoyed being the center of attention, but right now he’d have given anything to hear his team groaning at his bad jokes instead of the gathering crowd’s whispers of awe.

As he climbed out of the lion, he noticed a few fragments of the comet were still stuck in the lion’s claws. The sight gave him a faint glimmer of hope. He tried to call Slav’s attention to the shards, but Slav was preoccupied with bringing Sven to the infirmary, only instructing him to stay where he was until he’d briefed the head of the base about his arrival.

Lance waited half an hour, his patience wearing thin as he wondered if the small bits of the comet stuck to the lion held enough energy to send him back to the reality he’d come from.

When Slav finally came back, he was accompanied by a man with greying hair and a kind face. There was something about him that made Lance feel like he could trust him.

The older man introduced himself. “Hello, I’m Samuel Holt. I’m the commander of the rebel forces of the Obressa Quadrant. You must be Lance. You’re the spitting image of Lance McClain.”

Lance shook his hand, taking a moment to process what he’d just heard. Apparently, there was another version of him in this reality, just like Shiro and Sven. He was a little intrigued by the idea of meeting his own lookalike. But that name, Holt – now that sounded familiar. He had to dig deep into his memories to figure out why, eyes widening as realization hit.

“You’re Sam Holt? You mean, you’re Pidge’s dad? It’s an honor to meet you!” Lance said.

Pidge’s dad frowned, taken aback. “So you really do come from an alternate reality, just like Slav said. Astonishing!”

Sam and Slav launched into a heated discussion, firing a volley of questions that used up every last bit of patience the young paladin had left. Lance tried to keep his irritation under wraps as he reminded them that he just wanted to know if the bits of comet stuck to Red could help bring him home.

“I really, _really_ want to go back to my own reality,” he said, barely managing to keep his voice steady.

With an apologetic smile, Sam arranged for the comet to be extracted from Red’s claws and brought back to his lab. Once he’d studied them and gotten Slav’s expert second opinion, he could give Lance an answer. The scientists invited him to head over with them. Lance didn’t like the idea of leaving his lion alone with strangers, but as soon as he stepped away, Red put up its force field, preventing anyone else from coming too close.

* * *

 

Lance was granted unrestricted access to the base, although they preferred that he not walk around unescorted. That was fine with him. He wanted to stay close to Sam and Slav anyway, hoping they’d solve his problem as soon as possible. He paced the room, listening to them spout scientific gibberish without understanding a single word they said, when someone abruptly burst into the lab talking a mile a minute.

“Dad! Is it true? Is there really someone here from another reality? And did you see that huge lion in the hangar? It’s awesome!”

Lance knew that voice.

Quickly, he turned to see who it belonged to, but it took him a moment to match the voice with the girl who’d just run into the lab. She was about his age, with long, wavy brown hair tied up in a ponytail, and wore a form-fitting jumpsuit. She was carrying a matching helmet.

When she spotted Lance, she froze. The helmet dropped from her hands.

That was definitely Pidge. Sure, her hair was longer, she wasn’t wearing those enormous glasses that covered half her face, and she seemed a little more feminine, but she was still Pidge.

She was staring at him with a look of total disbelief, mixed emotions crossing her face that he couldn’t even begin to place. Before he could say anything, she’d rushed over to him and thrown her arms around his neck, yelling his name. He staggered back from the force of the hug andcollapsed onto the ground, Pidge landing on top of him.

Usually, he’d have been a little annoyed at being subjected to what felt more like a full body tackle than a hug, but having an armful of girl was throwing him off. Her legs were entwined with his, and one of his arms had reflexively wrapped around her waist. He was suddenly struck by just how small she was. She’d buried her face in his shoulder, and he was even more startled to feel something wet trickling down his neck.

“Lance, you’re alive!”

She was crying.

“Of course I’m alive, Pidge!” he said. “What’s wrong with you?” 

At the sound of her nickname, Pidge raised her head and looked at him with tear-filled eyes. She didn’t seem to care that her face was incredibly close to his, or notice that she was still lying on top of him. He could feel his face heat up as he started to blush.

“Lance never calls me that,” she said, looking confused. “Matt’s the only one who-”

Sam cleared his throat, interrupting her. He and Slav had seen the whole thing, both too surprised to speak, but they seemed to have finally found their voices. Sam was clearly bothered by just how close his daughter was to him.

“Katie, sweetheart, that isn’t Lance. That is, he’s not the same one you knew. _He’s_ the one who came here from an alternate reality.”

The girl stared intently at him, but whatever she saw seemed to disappoint her. She sat up, letting him up as well.

“I… I’m sorry,” she said. “When I saw you, I just thought…”

“That the other Lance must look exactly like me?” Lance said.“I get it. But I don’t get why you’re crying.”

Sam helped his daughter to stand, putting his arm around her shoulders, his face drawn. He looked over at Lance.

“In this reality, Lance McClain’s ship crashed a year ago. He’s dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was translated with the author's permission. Please make sure to let them know if you enjoy this story! :)


	2. The Other Katie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance learns a little more about Katie.

Lance was still in shock from the revelation that the version of him in this reality had died. It was an unnerving idea, and it had hit him hard. In a weird way, it felt like finding out that _he_ was dead. He wasn’t even 18 yet, which meant the other Lance couldn’t have been more than 16 when it happened. He sat in the corner, at a loss for words, while Slav, Samuel, and Pidge - Katie - worked on his portal problem.

Hours had passed without any progress by the time they finally took a break for dinner, leaving Katie in charge of finding somewhere for Lance to sleep. The exhausted young paladin had been starting to think this horrible day would never end. He realized he was looking forward to finally falling into bed almost as much as re-opening the portal to go home.

He started peeling off his armor the moment he stepped foot into the small room he’d been assigned, stopping halfway when he realized Katie was still in the room. He shot her a questioning look, but she left in a hurry, wishing him goodnight.

Lance hadn’t missed the way she’d been stealing glances at him in between Slav proposing theories, although she’d kept her distance, so he hadn’t thought much of it until now. Guiltily, he realized she’d been waiting to talk to him about something. He had a feeling it was probably important, but he was too exhausted and worried to figure out what it could be. All he wanted to do was sleep. He finished pulling off his armor, falling asleep almost instantly.

When he woke up, he was starving, but someone had left a plate of food for him on the nightstand. Apparently, he’d slept over fourteen vargas straight.

He headed back over to the lab to see how the scientists were doing and found them working on something with frenzied excitement. He was about to ask what they’d found out so far when Katie noticed him.

She came over to greet him. “Good morning, Lance. Did you sleep well?”

“I did, thanks. Sorry to have slept so long, though. Guess I needed it,” he said.

“No need to apologize. You seemed pretty wiped out yesterday, but that’s really not surprising, considering everything you went through. In any case, days on this moon are about 80 hours long, so everyone’s sleep/wake cycles are complicated,” she explained.

“Oh, yeah?”

Lance didn’t know what else to say. He sneaked a glance at her once she’d turned her attention back to what her father was doing. Once she’d learned he wasn’t the Lance she’d taken him for, Katie had barely spoken a word to him. But this morning - well, whatever time of day it was - she seemed to be in a much more talkative mood.

She turned back towards him, hesitated a split second, then seemed to make up her mind, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the lab.

“Hey!” Lance complained. “I wanted to know how it was going…”

“We’ve spent hours theorizing and running numbers to find a solution. We’ve come up with a couple ideas that seem promising, but they’re being tested right now. If the results are positive, you’ll be the first to know,” Katie promised.

Lance sighed. Chances were they would at least know _something_ within a few hours, but part of him couldn’t help feeling disappointed at having to wait.

Katie noticed, playfully punching his arm. “Trust us! We’ve got the best minds in this part of the universe.”

“I trust you. You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met,” he said. “I mean, I’m pretty sure you’re just as smart as the Pidge in my reality.”

Katie smiled at him, tilting her head in a way that suddenly reminded him of her other self. Lance was caught off guard by the thought that the way her hair gently curled around her face suited her perfectly.

“So tell me, what’s your reality’s Katie like?” she asked.

“Pidge? She’s a total tomboy. She wears baggy clothes and these huge glasses, and her hair’s cut pretty short.”

“Oh?”

That obviously wasn’t the answer she’d been expecting, but she seemed intrigued and wanted to know more.

Lance thought for a moment before continuing. “Actually, she probably started dressing like that when she went undercover to find out why her father and brother were missing. She passed herself off as a guy named Pidge, that’s what her brother called her.”

“What? Something happened to my dad and brother in your reality?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, they were kidnapped by the Galra Empire - where I’m from, they’re the bad guys - about a year ago. So was Shiro, our leader. She went to space to find them, she joined the fight against the Galra while she was looking for leads. Let me tell you, that Pidge is one heck of a girl. She’s intelligent, stubborn, brave, tough… We’re pretty lucky to have her on the team. We definitely wouldn’t have made it as far as we have without her. I’m sure she’ll find her family soon.”

Katie was staring at him again. He turned away, trying not to blush, and continued to follow her. They ended up at the hangar, where Red was patiently waiting.

“You wouldn’t happen to be in love with Ka– uh, Pidge, would you?” Katie asked. 

The idea shocked him. “I- What? No way! Not a chance,” he protested, blushing violently.

He realized he might have come off a little too strong when she turned away to face the lion, her face hidden from him. Maybe she’d been offended by how quickly he had rejected the idea of liking Pidge. After all, Katie was basically the same person, and girls were complicated.

He studied her back as she gazed up at Red. Katie was the same height as Pidge, and the same build - she was the same 15-almost-16 year old girl, no two ways about it **.** He wondered if Pidge really looked like that, if the same curves were hiding under her shapeless clothes.

He hated himself a little bit for even thinking about it.

Lance cleared his throat and changed the subject. “I haven’t met your brother. Nothing bad’s happened to him in this reality, right?”

“No. He and Mom are working with another rebel group back on Earth.”

“Oh. That’s good,” he replied.

“Your lion is amazing,” Katie said.

“Thanks! Red’s the fastest of the five lions, then Green– that’s Pidge’s lion. But I was in Blue before I started flying Red. I used to be an awesome leg, but now I’m an awesome arm. I mean, hopefully I’ll still be an arm, once I get back to my friends.”

Seeing the look of total bewilderment on Katie’s face made him crack a smile. He told her about Voltron. 

“Wow. We don’t have anything like that. If the Alteans had invented lions, they’d have been using them for ages. I wish I’d had the chance to pilot something so incredible,” she said.

They stood there a little longer, admiring Red in silence, until Katie excused herself to return to the lab and get back to work.


	3. Lance Learns About Lance?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance sinks into depression, but Katie bonds with him and teaches him a few things.

Another day passed, Lance waiting on tenterhooks for any new developments. The fear of being permanently trapped in an unfamiliar reality started to creep back in. He was beginning to lose hope that he’d ever find his friends again, let alone his family back on Earth.

The mood in the lab only made him feel worse. They were all so focused on their research, you could cut the tension with a knife. He needed a break. He decided to take Red out for a spin.

As he was climbing into Red’s open mouth, he heard Katie calling him. She was trying to play it cool, but he noticed the underlying panic in her voice.

“Are you leaving?” 

“I was just going for a quick ride,” he reassured her. “I’m going to lose my mind if I keep sitting around here doing nothing.” 

He wondered if her reaction to him leaving had anything to do with the other Lance’s death. Having to be around someone who looked just like your dead friend couldn’t be easy. 

He thought about it for a moment, then asked, “Do you want to come with me?” 

“What?” 

“Yesterday, you said you wanted to pilot one of these. You can’t fly Red, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come along for the ride.” 

“Oh, then yes!” she said. “That would be amazing. Can I really?” 

“Sure, as long as Red’s cool with it.” 

Doubtfully, she looked up at the lion, but Red didn’t react as she approached and followed him into the lion’s head. 

Lance barely settled into his seat before the cockpit came to life, instruments and screens lighting up at his touch. Katie could hardly restrain her excitement as she examined everything around her, fascinated by even the smallest details. The lion was a technological wonder. 

“You’d better hold on to something though, or you’ll go flying once we take off. Red’s fast,” Lance warned. 

“Oh.” 

Katie approached the pilot’s seat and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. 

“Is that okay?” she asked. “Am I holding on too tight? Will it bother you?”

“Um, no, that’s fine,” he said awkwardly. 

He hadn’t expected her to stand that close, and he could feel his ears turning red. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before Red launched, soaring high above the moon’s rocky, monotonous landscape. The sudden acceleration was so strong that it pushed Katie even closer to him, and she held on even more tightly for fear of falling.

Lance’s heart was pounding. He’d wanted to fly fast enough to completely put his worries out of his mind, but if he didn’t slow down soon, Katie was going to wind up on his lap. Considering how poorly he’d been handling things so far, his body was definitely not ready for that kind of contact. He couldn’t figure out what it was about her that was making him feel this way. She was still Pidge, just girlier, that’s all. So why was he getting so flustered by every little thing she did?

Eventually, the pressure around his neck eased up as Katie loosened her grip, bracing herself on the back of the seat instead. 

“You seem upset, Lance. Is something wrong?” she asked. 

“Hmm?” he said. “Nope, everything’s totally fine.”

“You’re lying.” 

“What?” 

“You’re lying,” she repeated. “You’re just like our Lance, the one who died. You never look people in the eye when you’re lying. Besides, you’ve seemed miserable all day. He used to get like that when he was in a funk.”

Lance didn’t respond. He didn’t want to give her any credit for having figured out just how much he had in common with the version of him that had died, but if he called her a liar, he’d be lying himself. Okay, sure, he’d had a few doubts about how much he really mattered to his team and if they’d even care if he never came back, but he didn’t want to talk about it with her. So he stayed quiet, and just kept flying. Katie said nothing. 

He finally broke the silence, focusing on the horizon. “So what was he like?” 

She didn’t answer right away. He turned to look at her, wondering if his reluctance to respond to what she’d said earlier had annoyed her, but she seemed lost in sad thoughts. 

“He was my best friend. He was always clowning around, just to make me laugh. He liked to show off, but deep down, he didn’t believe in himself. He didn’t know just how important he really was. He was the kind of person you’d want by your side in a fight, and he could cheer anyone up. But he died saving us. We were being pursued by an enemy frigate, and he took it out by flying his ship right into it,” Katie said. 

Lance didn’t know what to say. He himself had often questioned his purpose among the other paladins and whether his team even needed him. He didn’t want to die young or sacrifice himself, but deep down he knew that if it ever came down to it, he’d have done the same thing. He wouldn’t hesitate to give his own life if he could save the ones he loved. 

“Lance?” Katie asked. 

“Yeah?” 

“Would you think about staying here, with us?” 

He whirled around to face her, dumbfounded by the suggestion. He was ready to yell that there was no way he’d ever want to live in a reality that wasn’t really his, but something in Katie’s eyes - probably the tears - stopped him. 

Lance sighed. 

“You know I’m not really him,” he said gently. “I could never take his place. Our lives were different. We don’t even have the same memories.”

“I know,” she said, with a sob. “It’s just… I wish I’d told him…” 

“Told him what?” 

“I wish I’d been brave enough to tell him that I love him.” 

His breath hitched. He hadn’t expected that. If she was in love with the Lance from this reality, it was almost like she was in love with him. 

Looking at her, he suddenly realized how pretty she really was. His own heart hurt at the thought of her heartache. 

Without really knowing what he was doing, he reached out his hand and Katie rushed into his arms. He pulled her close and kissed her, and she kissed him back. It had been a long time since he’d kissed a girl, but there was something different about kissing her, something that shook him to his core. A small part of him felt guilty, thinking of Pidge. 

They stayed in each others’ arms a little longer before pulling apart. Lance wiped the tears away, and wordlessly, Katie stood up and braced herself against the pilot’s seat, effectively ending their conversation. That was fine by him. He didn’t want to think about what he’d just done, and in any case, he couldn’t think straight. 

He turned Red back towards HQ, and giving him one final self-conscious look, Katie left without another word.


	4. Return to the Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The solution has been found. It's about time!

Another day went by. He was more than ready to leave, especially after what had happened with Katie. Something in him wanted to run far away from her, terrified by the confusing feelings she seemed to stir up.

But the scientists had been productive, and they seemed to have found his ticket back. “Theoretically, this formula is incredibly complex, but putting it into practice should be simple enough. However, we still have one concern.”

“I’m listening,” Lance said.

“The only way it will work is if the formula is being replicated in kind on the other side, in the reality of origin.”

He was trying to understand, but their explanations still seemed vague.

Katie approached him, explaining, “Basically, we have a key to open the gate to your reality, but it won’t open unless the same key is being used  by someone on the other side of the gate. We’ll need to estimate just how much energy is needed to activate the comet, presuming the same amount of energy is being applied to the comet or its fragments in the other reality. And ideally, we’ll need to do it in the same place the portal previous appeared.”

“Aha.”

Putting like that made it sound easy. The biggest problem was not knowing whether anyone in his reality had found the same solution and would be waiting on the other side.

Lance closed his eyes, thinking of the chance to go home, to see his family. To be with Pidge and Hunk, and that jerk, Keith, and Allura and Coran. To find out if Shiro was alive. He missed them all terribly. He didn’t think he had it in him to stay here, knowing he would never see the people he loved and trusted most in the world ever again. There was nothing for him in this reality. If he stayed, he’d always be filling a dead man’s shoes.

His eyes flickered over to Katie, but he quickly looked away before the thought of staying with her started to appeal to him. He didn’t need to be sidetracked.

“I think we should give it a shot. Pidge is smarter than our whole team put together, and I’m sure she’ll have found the key,” Lance said. “They’ll be there. I know it.”

Katie’s father wasn’t so sure the gamble was worth it. He feared the Alteans would have the sector under surveillance, that they’d be walking right into a trap.

But Katie intervened, arguing in Lance’s favor. “Please, Dad. Lance is the only reason I’m still alive, remember? We can never repay him, but we can still help this Lance.”

Sam studied his daughter for a moment and sighed. He knew how she felt about the boy they’d lost and how guilty she felt to have outlived him. Perhaps it would help, knowing she’d saved Lance by sending him home safely. “Okay, sweetheart. You win. In any case, we won’t have wasted our time on this, will we?”

“Thank you, Mr. Holt. You too, Slav,” Lance said. “And thanks for everything. You all went out of your way to help me, even though you really didn’t have to.”

“You’re welcome, son. You gave Slav a challenge, and I was happy to help,” Sam said.

Lance was nearly moved to tears, but he managed to keep it together.

A few hours later, he and Red were on their way, accompanied by a shuttle carrying Katie, her father, and Slav. Lucky for them, the Alteans had apparently withdrawn from the sector.

His lion carried the collected comet fragments in its claws. The comet would activate once it had absorbed enough energy to make it resonate, but that part was up to his lion.

Once he was in position, he and the scientists said their goodbyes, certain that he would succeed and his friends would be waiting for him on the other side.

At the last second, Katie chimed in. “I hope the other Katie finds her family soon. But with you on her side, I know she can do anything. Don’t forget how much you mean to your team, Lance.”

“Thanks, Katie. I hope you’ll be happy.”

He felt a pang in his heart. They’d only met three days ago, but it felt like he was saying goodbye to someone who meant a lot to him.

Moments later, he fired a laser beam directly at the comet, carefully keeping the beam steady so the fragments would absorb a stable amount of energy. It was trickier than he’d expected. The fragments began to glow and– were they vibrating? He squinted, trying to get a better look at what was happening, and spotted a hazy portal opening in front of him.

Within seconds, the portal looked exactly like the one he’d headed into a few days ago, but smaller. He wasn’t sure he’d fit, but if he didn’t try, he’d never know.

Taking a deep breath, he guided Red into the portal and didn’t look back.

* * *

 

When he opened his eyes and the world had finally stopped spinning, he broke into a smile at the welcome sight of the four lions waiting for him. He didn’t have a chance to say anything before Red’s communications erupted into noisy cheers of joy. Even his lion seemed to be roaring with happiness. The sense of abandonment that had been weighing so heavily on him all this time finally lifted. He laughed, tears silently rolling down his cheeks.

He was home.

They led him back to the Castle, and he’d barely stepped out of the ship before he was pulled into a warm group hug mixed with crying. They had missed him, and they were genuinely happy to have him back. After all, the paladins were his family, too.

Finally, they let him go, all except Pidge. The sight of the smaller girl leaning against him reminded him of the other Katie, and he could feel himself start to blush. But before he could explain, Pidge started to tip over. He caught her, abruptly realizing she was fast asleep.

“Seriously, Pidge?” he said. “I only just got back. Am I that boring?”

“You know, she’s barely slept a wink since you disappeared,” Hunk confided. “She was devastated. She’s spent every waking moment trying to figure out a way to bring you home. It wasn’t easy, especially after Lotor stole the comet, but I’ll fill you in later.” 

Lance had a feeling he’d underestimated her. It was like he was seeing this Katie for the first time. Just how much did she have in common with the girl who shared her name in the other reality? He’d have to take the time to find out.

He lowered himself to the floor, still cradling Pidge in his arms. He pulled her closer, tucking her head under his chin, and looked up at Red.

“I don’t regret my choice, Red. I’ve never been more sure of myself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you ManaMaVhenan for letting me translate your beautiful story! If you enjoyed reading, please make sure to tell them. 
> 
> If you're interested in translation notes, you can find them over on [my tumblr](https://seasonsandcenturies.tumblr.com/post/172419945768/translation-notes-for-the-other-side-voltron).


End file.
